What she represents

Manigault, 43, is fiercely loyal to Donald Trump, whose decision to cast her as an alpha-female villain in the first season of “The Apprentice” more than a decade ago made her a reality television celebrity.

Apparently that’s the reason right there. But I was asking about what qualifications she has to be there. Being a reality television celebrity isn’t a qualification.

But because she is one of the few African Americans in Trump’s immediate orbit, others caution against dismissing her.

“It’s important that we take Omarosa seriously, irrespective of how we feel about her,” said Leah Wright Rigueur, a professor of public policy at Harvard. “The idea of having access to the White House in ways that people of color and civil rights agencies had under Obama — that’s gone. She appears to be the black person who is closest to Donald Trump. So it’s important to think very seriously about what she represents.”

But thinking very seriously about what she represents isn’t the same thing as taking her seriously. My serious thought about what she represents is that she represents just one more example of how random and feckless Trump is about all this.

Armstrong Williams, another longtime Republican strategist and close adviser to Carson, said Manigault’s influence goes beyond “the so-called black agenda.” He said Manigault has input on press secretary Sean Spicer’s daily briefings and that “she carries a lot of weight” with candidates seeking ambassadorships.

Why? What does she know about it?

Manigault’s loyalty might be a more valuable currency to Trump than her experience, said Sophia Angeli Nelson, an author and political commentator who has worked in GOP administrations and in Congress.

Of course, there are African American politicos and wonks who have more history with the Republican Party and its agenda. But in this White House, “they might last 10 minutes,” she said.

“They may be more knowledgeable, but Trump wouldn’t respect them and wouldn’t listen to their opinion,” she said. “In Trump’s world, loyalty means everything to him. And, if that’s the case, Omarosa is the right person.”

Which is just one example of what’s wrong with him. He doesn’t give a rat’s ass about qualifications or relevant experience or knowledge or expertise; he cares only about loyalty to him, personally. That’s his administration. It’s just a reality tv show transferred to a larger stage.

Last week, seven members of the Congressional Black Caucus met with Trump in the Oval Office. They told Trump they are concerned about his budget and policy positions, and they related how they don’t appreciate his characterization of black communities as rife with crime and poverty. Sources said Manigault made it clear that the attendance — seven of 49 Black Caucus members — was irritatingly small.

Trump tried to get the group to stand behind him at his desk. The lawmakers declined, ruining a potentially powerful photo op.

Not as powerful as the one where he’s pretending to drive the Big Truck though.

This so-called president is pretending to be a truck driver running people down. Not a nice image to project, especially in these later times. Somebody really should give that some serious thought … oh right, keep forgetting.

Manigault’s qualification is that she is black, and a woman. It saves the Donald from having to look around for another token for the second slot. After all, it’s not at though there was any difference between one woman and another – they’re all exactly the same. Similarly blacks – they have no distinguishing characteristics so why would you need two?